SOME North Yorkshire businesses feel it’s “too soon” to be reducing Covid restrictions while others feel the time is right – here’s the full rundown below.
With restrictions on face masks to be required by law lifting on July 19, businesses are gearing up for big changes.
Masks have been required by law to be worn in shops, bars and restaurants to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.
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On Monday (July 19) most restrictions are set to be lifted, including no limits on how many people can meet, some pubs and restaurants no longer require table-service and no limits on guest numbers at weddings and funerals.
The Northern Echo spoke to businesses in North Yorkshire to see what they thought of the lifting of mask restrictions.
Mark Humphrie, manager at Maxwell’s electrical supply store in Northallerton, said: “Well basically the Government have said you don’t have to so, I’ll still be wearing masks in store and it’s up to the staff whether they want to wear a mask or not.
“I just think it’s personal preference about how people feel, it’s their right to do what they want. Once the government say you don’t have to wear them then you don’t have to wear them do you?”
“I would say it’s too soon to be relaxing rules, there’s quite a lot of cases still and I’ve just been told that one of the main schools has closed because of Covid.
“So it’s too close still to be letting your guard down.
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“For me I would say that I’ll still be wearing a mask when I go into shops and stuff at the moment but we won’t be enforcing it in your store.
“I can’t really enforce it because like I say it’s a Government thing so if I did tell people to wear masks I’d get loads of backlash.
“At the end of the day if they don’t want to wear masks then they don’t have too.”
Jake Varley, from the Little 3 pub in Thirsk, said: “After July 19 as a company, we’re going to carry on wearing masks ourselves to protect ourselves, and in terms of customers they are more welcome to wear masks if they want to wear them.
Andrew Truman, of Johnson’s of Thirsk, said: “Well we have screens up on the counters, so the screens will be staying in place to protect our staff basically.
“We have got signage up to saying that we would prefer people to wear masks but obviously you can’t make people wear them.
“We’re keeping everything as it is, so three customers in the shop instead of as many as you can fit in basically, so just the three.
“Keeping the screens up, keeping the signs up for the face masks, just to protect ourselves basically and the staff.
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“I don’t think it’s too early from the government, I think we will have to learn to live with it and just people be sensible and use their common sense and look after themselves.
“It’s here isn’t it it’s not going anywhere and I just feel we need to just get on but be sensible while we get on with it.
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